All individuals using abrasive wheels equipment must be adequately trained to ensure health & safety in its use. Some work activities require detailed training but, for most everyday abrasive wheel work, adequate training can be delivered in-house using the manufacturer’s instructions and the background knowledge / skills of more experienced workers and managers. Abrasive wheels training can help develop competence.
What you must do
Employers must ‘ensure that all persons who use abrasive wheels equipment have received adequate training for the purposes of health and safety, including training in the methods which may be adopted when using work equipment, and risks which such use may entail and the precautions to be taken.’ (PUWER regulation 9). There is a similar duty to ensure adequate abrasive wheels training in relation to supervisory and managerial staff.
It is not possible to detail here what constitutes ‘adequate training’, as requirements will vary according to:
- the job or activity
- the existing competence of workers
- the circumstances of the work (eg degree of supervision)
- the work equipment etc
The Abrasive wheels training standard required should be adequate in ensuring the health and safety of your workers and any people who may be affected by the work, so far as reasonably practicable.
‘Contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence’.